The UK government's new proposals to severely limit the path to settlement or permanent residency for skilled migrants from non-EU countries have renewed concerns about the impact of current immigration policies on British science. Details outlined in a Home Office consultation document suggest that the majority of skilled migrants (also known as 'Tier 2 migrants') and their dependents would be expected to leave the country after a maximum stay of five years. The consultation document outlines opportunities that may arise for Tier 2 migrants to switch to a path that would lead to settlement in the UK, including, for example, an automatic route that is at present available for “ministers of religion, elite sportspeople and those earning over £150,000”. However, the vast majority of scientists, including senior investigators, will fail to meet the current salary criterion. For senior researchers, the prospect of uprooting a research programme in five years, often the length of time taken to simply get a programme underway, is likely to be a powerful deterrent to accepting positions in the UK. Similarly, restrictions on the length of stay could force postdoctoral researchers to leave the country before wrapping up a project. A letter organized by CaSE (Campaign for Science & Engineering in the UK), signed by twenty influential representatives drawn from science and technology, makes these and other crucial points.

New immigration policies imposing annual caps on the entry of skilled migrants, finalized earlier this year, prioritized applicants to “shortage occupations”, including several that are science related. In addition, the government announced this summer that the Royal Society could nominate up to 300 scientists of “exceptional talent” to enter the UK. Any gains from these marginally more scientist-friendly immigration policies could be quickly wiped out with the passage of these new measures.

Science is a global enterprise. Draconian measures that would make the UK a less attractive destination for the world's brightest cannot serve to secure the future of British science. Now is the time for concerned scientists to reach out to their elected representatives.